PLAYING WITH FIRE

Ron Keith's Inspector Banks is an appealing character, a trustworthy guide through the investigation of arson and art forgery that develops after two canal barges occupied by squatters are swept by fire. Two of the occupants die--one a ne'er-do-well artist, the other a hard-luck stoner left alone by her boyfriend after a fight. Banks has to unravel which was the intended victim and what the motive was. At the same time, Banks's assistant (and former girlfriend) takes up with an art expert boyfriend Banks doesn't like the look of. In a superb performance, Keith deftly builds character and drama without ever going over the top as the clues and bodies pile up. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]